Tottenham Hotspur target Mike Maignan has agreed an £18 million, £50,000-a-week move to AC Milan as a replacement for contract-rebel Gigi Donnarumma, as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport.
It is not just Spurs fans who will be greeting this headline with a disappointed sigh.
West Bromwich Albion know, deep down, that it would be nothing short of a minor miracle if Sam Johnstone is still standing between the sticks at the Hawthorns when 2021/22 kicks off.
And if Tottenham cannot hijack Milan’s move for Maignan, expect Daniel Levy to come knocking for Johnstone instead.
The Athletic believe that the one-time Manchester United youngster has played his way onto Tottenham’s radar.
The club’s number one choice remains Maignan, however. But, if reports in Italy are to be believed, the France international will be heading to Milan rather than London.
Stefano Pioli’s Rossoneri side have allegedly agreed a deal that will see Maignan leave Ligue 1 title-chasers Lille for a cool £18 million. What’s more, the one-time PSG youngster has given the green light to a three-year, £50,000-a-week contract at the San Siro.
This, tellingly, is far less than Donnarumma is demanding. AC Milan’s much-vaunted academy graduate is out of contract this summer and Maignan, four years his elder at the age of 25, appears to be on the verge of stepping into his shoes.
“Maignan is the stronger keeper in France at the moment,” former Les Bleus ace Sebastien Frey told Gazzetta when asked about the prospect of his compatriot taking Donnarumma’s place in the AC Milan XI.
Tottenham have also been linked with Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels and Burnley’s Nick Pope recently, as well as Johnstone.
Missing out on Maignan is disappointing, but far from fatal.
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